$5 Win8 app skips Metro on startup

If you were reading the news last month, you might have heard that the release version of Windows 8 won't allow folks to boot straight into the desktop. A trip through the Metro Modern UI Style interface will, it seems, be mandatory on every bootup.

That is, unless you have $4.95 burning a hole in your pocket. As CNet News reports, a firm called Thinix has released a $4.95 Windows 8 app that lets you bypass the Metro start screen at boot time. The app is dubbed RetroUI, and it behaves like so:

That's not all the $4.95 entry fee will get you. RetroUI also has controls for disabling some other Windows 8 features, like the Charms Bar and hot corners—two Metro features that are, by default, enabled in the desktop interface.

One thing RetroUI won't do for you is restore the old Start menu, though. For that, you'll need yet more third-party software. We mentioned a Samsung widget with pseudo-Start-menu functionality last week, and CNet outlines several other options here.